I was randomly browsing Walmart and noticed Xbox X was in stock. Knowing how hard they are to get, I snatched it. I didn't really need it nor wasn't sure if I wanted it. Most importantly, it wasn't wife approved. But.....as the cancellation of the order was declined since the item has shipped, I took it as a sign from the Universe. The Universe wanted me to have another console for gaming. Luckily, it turned out to be one of the best gaming investments I made since the 90's.

Before a quick overview of the experience, I wanted to share my "budget" Xbox set up:

• Xbox X - $530 including taxes (full retail price)
• Monitor: Gigabyte M32QC 1440p 165hz curved 32 inch gaming monitor - on sale for $250 including taxes (45% off)
• Headphones: Koss KPH 40 - $43 (retail price - can be substituted with KPH30 that are $33)
• Game Pass: Xbox Gold: 3 years $174 (+ GamePass Ultimate until 2025 for $1/month)

I also got a desk and an office chair but since we needed those anyway, I am going to leave them out of the equation for the set up. You also might already have it in your home.

My total cost of switch including HW + Game Pass Ultimate until year 2025 = $997 including tax

Now, for the individual pieces of tech:

• First and foremost, the pairing with the monitor is incredible. I do get 120HZ at 1440p and coming from a larger TV at 60hz, it's a noticeable difference. The fact that I could get this monitor at $250 all in is mind blowing me. The picture quality (i.e. color reproduction) is close to or on the same level as Sony Bravia XBR900F, which costs $1000 more (I know it's apples and oranges but still). That Sony TV has the best picture quality I've ever seen, mostly due to color accuracy. No dead pixels on my specific Gigabyte monitor. The colors are believable and great out the box. The anti-glare coating works wonders and there are barely an reflections visible on the screen. I was contemplating between a 27" and 32" inch screen, but being a fan of curved screens getting there with age, I think this 32" was the right choice. I am sucked in and part of the experience. I am in the game, enjoying it, not outside staring at the screen - if that makes sense. This monitor provides that experience for relatively cheap.

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• The headphones pairing is also incredible. These KPH40 babies rival and in some cases outperform the Sennheisers or Airpods Pro & 3 sound quality. Those are 5-6x the price of the KHPs. Easily the best headphones ever made in the price range, in my humble opinion. Investment I recommend making for anyone who likes good sounding music, movies or games at a very, very affordable price. Nothing really comes close. The only pair that does come close are actually the cheaper brothers KPH30s. Matched with Forza Horizon 5, driving stock old Ferraris and Porsches from the 80's and 90's, as the rumble and engine sound flows through these headphones in pristine quality while the controller shakes in your hand during breaking, is an unbelievable experience! I also played NFS Heat on PS5, and while it was somewhat similar, it was nowhere near on this level, nor did it provide this much enjoyment (this is also due to the controller inputs, but more about it below).

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• As far the as the Xbox X console: Looks are subjective, but I dig the design very much. I also have the PS5, and the Xbox design seems less in your face and elegant. It is absolutely silent and generates less heat than the PS5 as well (although that could be a matter of placement). The unit is powerful, no lags or anything HW related that would be an issue. Pairs great with a black monitor mentioned above, headphones and controller. The only game with some minor issues was MS Flight Simulator. MSS is one of the most difficult and demanding games of all time to run even on PC, so an occasional reading issue of a console costing fraction of a powerful PC is forgivable.

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• The Xbox controller is where I got confused because of how good the PS5 controllers are with their new trigger haptic feedback function & the hype around them. To be fair, this could be specific to Forza 5 since I play that the most, but I cannot think of a way in which the PS5 controllers are better. The coherence of the sound, controller haptics connecting with the visuals on this game/Xbox is better, in my opinion. I much prefer the interaction and vibration (which seems to be more dominant) on the Xbox too. I played Dirt 4,5,9 and 10 on PS5 with adaptive triggers activated on the latter versions, but the Xbox haptics seem more present and part of the experience. Downshifts and hard breaking specifically is on a whole different level with the Xbox controller. This is after using PS5 controllers for 2 years and being well accustomed to them with hundreds of games played already. Kudos to MS for the controller performing like that, especially at $20 cheaper than the PS5 controllers! Also, no drifting issues, which has been a nightmare on all of my PS controllers.

Overall, I honestly see myself using the Xbox as the new daily. Forza (5) is possibly the very best racing game ever made, offering thousands of hours of enjoyment and plethora of cars, while utilizing the hardware to it's potential . Just a quick shoutout to the "Action Market" place. Whether the whole experience is a compliment to Forza, each piece of tech mentioned above individually, or the marriage of all, I am not sure. What I know is that Xbox is providing this experience, regardless of it being on the forefront of the experience, or part of it.

Lastly, 997 USD is not little sum of money, but it does include the HW + 3 years of play time as I am not planning on buying any games. There are 1095 days in 3 years, so this enjoinment is literally less than $1/day. If I was to drink coffee every day (which I don't) or buy coffee a few times a week, it would come out more expensive. Not to mention that console remains usable (hopefully) after 3 years as well...

***While I was waiting for the console to arrive I did some research on the Xbox S that offers similar performance for half the price. Paired with a good 1080p 120hz gaming monitor, it offers the same maxed out performance as the X with the 1440p. Add in the cheaper KPH30 headphones, and you have yourself an amazing next gen set up for close to $500 & this is with a fully realized potential of the console and monitor for maximum resolution and response time. Possibly the best value in gaming history for any next gen product.

With the declining customer service quality of Sony, increased prices for games and drift issues with both of my controllers, Xbox got a new hardcore fan for at least the next 3 years.

Gotta give props where it's due: Microsoft nailed this new gen Xbox.

Sincerely, a new Xbox fan.